Duplicate-whist apparatus.



No. 645,697. Paten ted Mar. 20, 1900;

w. E. WATKINS.

DUPLICATE WHIST APPARATUS.

(Application filed Sept. 15, 1898.)

(No Model.)

0. soL/TH i WEST as EAST NORTH a INVINTOR TNESSES:

NITED STATES PATENT rrrcE.

WlLLIAM E. WATKINS, OF MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

DUPLICATE- WHIST APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,697, dated March 20, 1900.

Application filed September 15,1898. Serial No. 691,015. (No model.)

To (Z5 whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. WATKINS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Upper Montclair, in the county of Essex and State'of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Duplicate-Vhist Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in duplicate-whist apparatus; and the object of my improvement is to dispense with the trays ordinarily employed and to provide a compact and inexpensive duplicatc-whist set.

The novelty ofmyinvention consists in providing a suitable holder for each of the four hands of a divided pack of cards, each holder 7 bearing means for determining the position at which the hand held by it is to be played, either on the original play of the hand or on the replay, also means for identifying each hand with the others of its particular deal, and a device indicating the player who is to have the lead. The holder is designed for use also in connection with a game-board or card formed either separately orin part with a single-compartment card-receptacle adaptable to containing all four hands when not in play. When used in combination with a board or receptacle, certain of the signs or characters are transferred from the holders to the card or board, as will more fully appear hereinafter, and finally in various combinations hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate similar parts throughout the several views, in which Figure l is a view in elevation of a set of holders shown in their preferred form, in which they are complete within themselves and capable of use independent of a tray or game-board. Fig. 2 is a View in perspective of a modified form of apparatus in which the holders are'adapted for use in connection with a game-board, the latter being shown as formin g one side of a single-compartment card-receptacle in which three of the hands are contained, while the fourth or remaining hand is represented as partly withdrawn. Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the application of the holder shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4is a view in perspective of a further modification of the holder. Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a pack of cards subdivided to provide four hands 2, 3, 4, and 5 in the play, each hand being contained by a removable device 6, which is adapted to serve as a holder in retaining the hands properly separated when not in play. In the preferred form this device consists of a non-elastic band of a size that will admit of the hand being readily slipped into it and bearing a sign or character 6'such as North, South, East, and West to indicate the position at which the hands are to be played.

Referring-to Fig. 1, it will be seen that by providing the holders with additional means, such as the marks or characters 6", by which the hands of a particular deal may be identified with each other, and a device, such as the sign or character 6, to indicate the player who is to have the lead, the tray, game-card, or board may be entirely dispensed with, as the holders thereby becomecomplete within themselves or self-indicating so far as th game requires.

Should it be found desirable to employ a game-board in connection with the holder, the form 7 (illustrated in Fig. 2) is provided, and may consist of an ordinary card or game board or form one side of asingle-compartment cardreceptacle 8, as shown. To identify each board in the series, a suitable sign or character 9 is marked thereon and may replace or substitute those upon the bands above referred to and indicated at 6". Position-indicators 10, similar to the markings North, South, East, and West of the holders, are also provided upon the board and serve as guides in placing the hands for play. .The device 6, indicating the lead, may be transferred from the holders to the board, as shown at 11, and to insure uniformity in plac ing the board in position for the original play and replay an additional sign 12 is provided.

A modified form of holder is illustrated in Fig. 4, and consists of a case of a size suitable for containing a single hand, which may be entered through either a side or end opening.

Heretofore trays of various kinds having bands or pockets secured to them have been used for holding the hands, the trays having on them means for their own identification and for showing the position in which the tray is to be placed for the play, (to. These trays are expensive to make and are necessarily of such size as to be impossible of operation without a table having atop of about twenty inches square. With my device a table with a top less than one-half this size will be found to be sufficient, while the cost of manufacturing my device Will not exceed onetenth of that of the present apparatus. There are two or three principal objections to these trays which do not obtain in my device-- first, their cost; second, their size, and, third, the liability of the cards to drop out of the holders inthe handling incidental to the play of the game.

In my apparatus it will not matter how loose the bands become there will be no danger of the cards droppingout, since when outof play the office of the band is simply to mark the separation of the hands. There being no strain on my holders and no elasticity necessary, their life should be very long.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A duplicate-whist apparatus comprising separate holders adapted to contain each hand of each deal each holder marked to indicate the player who is to play the hand contained therein, and additional markings whereby all the holders for the same deal may be identitied with each other.

2. In a duplicate-whist apparatus, the combination with a board forming one of the sides of a single-compartment receptacle suitably marked to indicate the position in which itis to be placed for the play, of four separate holders detached therefrom adapted to contain the four whist hands of one deal and each holder marked to indicate the player who is to play the whist hand contained therein.

3. In a duplicate-whist apparatus, the combination with a board forming one of the sides of a single-compartment receptacle suitably marked to indicate the position in which itis to be placed for the play, additional marks to indicate the position of the players for the play, of four separate holders detached therefrom adapted to contain the four whist hands of one 'deal and each holder marked to indicate the player who is to play the whist hand contained therein, as shown by the marks on the board.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 6th day of September, A. D. 1898.

W'ILLIAM E. \VATKINS.

Witnesses:

ERNEST V. PLATT, M. TURNER. Y 

